Celebrating Our Collectors
As an anniversary celebration of our 25 years in business we have planned a special exhibition for the attendees of the cocktail party on Wedneday 15 May at Rosslyn Riviera Mall. The works will be displayed for at least a month thereafter.
Some of our long time gallery artists are represented along with some newer names, whose work we hope you will enjoy. More than anything we want to celebrate our artists and our collectors, all those who have supported us through good times and sometimes difficult times. Without you, we would not have grown and flourished. We offer you all our heartfelt thanks and hope we can continue to discover and appreciate great art together, for many more years.
Following below are the works which will be on display along with a small and somewhat subjective text explaining our choices for this show.
Some of our long time gallery artists are represented along with some newer names, whose work we hope you will enjoy. More than anything we want to celebrate our artists and our collectors, all those who have supported us through good times and sometimes difficult times. Without you, we would not have grown and flourished. We offer you all our heartfelt thanks and hope we can continue to discover and appreciate great art together, for many more years.
Following below are the works which will be on display along with a small and somewhat subjective text explaining our choices for this show.
The exhibition closes 16 June 2019.
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Peterson Kamwathi is the only Kenyan artist with a work hanging at the entrance of the Africa Gallery in the British Museum. He is indisputably one of the most important artists working in the region currently.
“My work is an attempt at depicting the different issues that impact on my society and me and, at times, issues that affect the world as a whole. These issues are social, political or environmental, depending on the specific concerns at the given time.” The Journey, The destination was recently shown at his immensely successful show at One Off Gallery in 2018. Typically it falls within his extended exploration on the theme of Migration. In this piece, the free floating figures depict the contortions experienced in the void of the migratory experience; the uncertainty, the fear, the physical and mental challenges. Each form is meticulously drawn, cut out and over-printed with ancient maps of North Africa and Southern Europe. As a new direction for the artist, this unique piece has added significance in that it is the launch pad for a new series. |
SOLD - The Journey, The Destination, 2018 Mixed media collage on paper 210h x 230w cm |
Florence Wangui is a young artist with immense talent and considerable experience with working in multi media behind her. In this exhibition, Wangui's Ask the real question relates to her iconic 'Kuku' charcoal works. Best known as an artist who portrays every aspect of chickens, this drawing displays Wangui's skill with the human form.
The Reconciliation is an even greater departure from her norm in that it is oil on canvas and shows how comfortably she has adopted this new medium. There is a confidence in technique and these recent works are more conceptually challenging in contrast to the more observational renderings of earlier work.
The Reconciliation is an even greater departure from her norm in that it is oil on canvas and shows how comfortably she has adopted this new medium. There is a confidence in technique and these recent works are more conceptually challenging in contrast to the more observational renderings of earlier work.
This Time Ask the Real Question, 2019
Charcoal on paper 91h x 62w cm |
The Reconciliation, 2019
Oil on canvas 70h x 138w cm |
Beatrice Wanjiku has already shown in the international section of the Venice Biennale, an extraordinary feat for a Kenyan artist and an accomplishment which assures her trajectory towards even greater success to be quick and steep. Her works explore and interrogate themes about the shifting nature of human beings, existentialism, our capacity for consciousness, self-awareness and the ability to overcome external controls on behaviour and ultimately our inherent capacity to transform. Her works offer an insight into the eternal quest to understand our realities.
All three works continue the 'search for the soul'. With weeping teeth, internal conflict and titles such as Released at the end of craving and Resume your flesh and form, these paintings are an acknowledgment of an investigation of an altogether more personal and introspective nature.
All three works continue the 'search for the soul'. With weeping teeth, internal conflict and titles such as Released at the end of craving and Resume your flesh and form, these paintings are an acknowledgment of an investigation of an altogether more personal and introspective nature.
Released in the End of Craving V, 2019
Mixed media on canvas 60h x 80w cm |
Resume your Flesh and Form IX, 2019
Mixed media on canvas 99h x 195.50w cm |
Resume your Flesh and Form VII, 2019
Mixed media on canvas 60h x 70w cm |
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Fitsum Berhe Woldelibanos is one of the most popular figurative painters currently working in the region.
Born in Ethiopia and educated at the University of Asmara, his academic approach sets him apart; he paints with a compelling energy, using broad brush strokes, snippets of fabric and architectural elements. He explains; 'I search for the human core, the pure constant between our current existence and our past with our ancestors. I search for man's most basic element...colour talks to me in three dimensional forms'. Needless to say, Woldelibanos finds an appreciative audience for his work the world over; solo exhibitions have been held in Nairobi, Lamu, Austria, France , Belgium and Canada. His next solo show will open at One Off Contemporary Art Gallery, #16 Rosslyn Lone Tree, on 25th May 2019. 
Arise, 2019
Acrylic on canvas 215h x 150w cm |
Peter Ngugi is making his name as a major force in the art scene of the region.
Having started his career with cityscapes and animals as his chosen subjects, Ngugi has quickly moved to the politics of Kenya as his primary inspiration. Elections, voting and corruption have to date been his chosen subjects. On a lighter note, Bak bandika bak bandua is a Swahili riddle. The artist says 'It describes a stylish way of walking and is used in Swahili literature to show flamboyance'. The newest offering from this most gifted of artists is certainly aptly named and certainly needs little explanation. From his first show at The National Museum in 1999, Ngugi has exhibited widely both locally and in Southern Africa. Works exist in the collections of Commercial Bank of Africa and HE Uhuru Kenyatta, President of the Republic of Kenya. 
Bak Bandika Bak Bandua, 2019
Oil on canvas 200h x 200w cm |
Paul Onditi falls into the category of one of the leading artists practicing in Kenya today. Highly original in his use of a polyester digital printing plate as his chosen substrate, Onditi has developed a labour intensive, multimedia technique to portray his contemporary investigation of the world he lives in. Bacterial infection I and II are a refreshing departure from the figurative life and exploits of the enigmatic Smokey figure who previously dominated the painting surface.
Most recently Onditi was represented in a spectacularly successful showing at 1:54 art fair in London. Previously he has shown at VOLTA, USA, and has held numerous solo shows in both Kenya and Germany.
Most recently Onditi was represented in a spectacularly successful showing at 1:54 art fair in London. Previously he has shown at VOLTA, USA, and has held numerous solo shows in both Kenya and Germany.
Bacterial Infection I
Mixed media on polyester film 142h x 106.50w cm |
Bacterial Infection II
Mixed media on polyester film 142h x 106.50w cm |
Timothy Brooke needs little introduction in Kenya. Considered one of the county's most accomplished and collected painters, his works are now seen as an important record of a world we are fast destroying, a world which shows every sign of disappearing within a generation.
Migration II is a classic migration scene from the Masai Mara and the Lesser Flamingos painting displays Brooke's economy of line, whilst his extraordinary ability to portray mood and character remains intact. Both works are examples of a master painter at the height of his game.
Migration II is a classic migration scene from the Masai Mara and the Lesser Flamingos painting displays Brooke's economy of line, whilst his extraordinary ability to portray mood and character remains intact. Both works are examples of a master painter at the height of his game.
Migration II, 2019
Oil on canvas 75h x 100w cm |
Lesser Flamingos, 2019
Oil on canvas 80h x 90w cm |
Olivia Pendergast has become one of our most popular painters of local landscapes and figuratives. Originally from the United States but painting the people and landscape which surrounds her, this painter has a strong, easily recognisable personal style; thick oil paint applied in plates of colour make up her light filled landscapes whilst her portraits are often characterised by a frenetic web of lines, scribbled into the thinner painted surface, the backgrounds of which are often highly patterned. Girl in Yellow Dress, Girl from Gachie and Askari are her newest works and display all the elements particular to this artist.
Pendergast is currently represented by One Off Contemporary Art Gallery in Nairobi and also Showcase Fine Art Gallery in Dubai. Work has also appeared in exhibitions in Ethiopia and Malawi as well as many cities in the United States. Her paintings are in the permanent collections of H.E. President Uhuru Kenyatta in Kenya as well as those of Art Access Gallery, Salt Lake County, Juniper Sky Gallery and Park City Mountain Resort.
Pendergast is currently represented by One Off Contemporary Art Gallery in Nairobi and also Showcase Fine Art Gallery in Dubai. Work has also appeared in exhibitions in Ethiopia and Malawi as well as many cities in the United States. Her paintings are in the permanent collections of H.E. President Uhuru Kenyatta in Kenya as well as those of Art Access Gallery, Salt Lake County, Juniper Sky Gallery and Park City Mountain Resort.
Girl in Yellow Dress, 2019
Oil on canvas 121.92h x 91.44w cm |
Girl From Gachie on Pink, 2019
Oil on canvas 121.92h x 91.44w cm |
Askari, 2019
Oil on canvas 121.92h x 91.44w cm |
James Mbuthia is often referred to as Kenya's Chagal.
He is intensely creative in a wide variety of mediums, but especially prolific in oil on canvas. His inspiration is drawn from personal experiences. James’ work depicts his dreams, political commentaries and rural life in his home area of Limuru.
Girls and Mango Trees and Meditation are both vintage Mbuthia. Both paintings have a quiet serenity and are perfectly composed. Both are utterly charming.
He is the founder and workshop coordinator for Art Without Borders Kenya. His initiative enables a team of artists to bring art to the children either ensconced in the paediatric wards of Kenyatta National Hospital, or in the slums and children's homes.
He has traveled to both France and the USA to take part in workshops. His work has been extensively exhibited in his home country of Kenya.
He is intensely creative in a wide variety of mediums, but especially prolific in oil on canvas. His inspiration is drawn from personal experiences. James’ work depicts his dreams, political commentaries and rural life in his home area of Limuru.
Girls and Mango Trees and Meditation are both vintage Mbuthia. Both paintings have a quiet serenity and are perfectly composed. Both are utterly charming.
He is the founder and workshop coordinator for Art Without Borders Kenya. His initiative enables a team of artists to bring art to the children either ensconced in the paediatric wards of Kenyatta National Hospital, or in the slums and children's homes.
He has traveled to both France and the USA to take part in workshops. His work has been extensively exhibited in his home country of Kenya.
Meditation, 2019
Mixed media on canvas 74h x 94w cm |
SOLD - Girls and Mango Trees, 2019
Oil on canvas 94h x 94w cm |
Thom Ogonga is one of Kenya's master print makers working in the traditional way and producing black and white prints for almost two decades. He is also a writer of acclaim.
Having moved to Kabete town, a college town on the outskirts of Nairobi, he has easily been able to capture the night life of the University Students surrounding him. Fascinated by the female form, his images are clean and descriptive. Untitled I and II are typical of this series, with each raising more questions than it answers.
Ogonga has exhibited widely in his home of Kenya and participated in numerous international workshops.
Having moved to Kabete town, a college town on the outskirts of Nairobi, he has easily been able to capture the night life of the University Students surrounding him. Fascinated by the female form, his images are clean and descriptive. Untitled I and II are typical of this series, with each raising more questions than it answers.
Ogonga has exhibited widely in his home of Kenya and participated in numerous international workshops.
SOLD - Untitled I
Woodcut print on paper 61h x 122w cm |
SOLD - Untitled II, 2016
Woodcut print on paper 61h x 122w cm |
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Richard Kimathi - 2000 saw Kimathi being chosen 'along with Vermeer and Matisse' to grace a limited edition stamp for the United Nations. Kimathi has never looked back. Arguably the best loved of the artists' artists, he never fails to surprise. His painting is technically faultless, his subject matter always 'difficult' but rendered with immense humility. Kimathi always impresses.
The Conversation I is a departure for this artist; with the use of meticulously stitched and painted metal, mouths stapled closed and head wounds covered over as though with band aids, the whole makes for a worrying portrait of human relationships in general, be they political or personal. The message is powerful and relates to the total lack of communication and its unintended consequence. The Conversation II harks back to previous series with this same canvas on canvas technique; awkward postures, benign expressions possibly disguising the turmoil within and all, as ever, rendered with extreme skill and economy. Kimathi shows every indication of prevailing as one of the biggest names from this region. |
SOLD - Conversation I, 2019
Mixed media on canvas 118h x 98w cm |
Conversation II, 2019
Mixed media on canvas 63.50h x 75w cm |
SOLD - Conversation III, 2019
Mixed media on canvas 63.50h x 74w cm |
Conversation IV, 2019
Mixed media on canvas 64h x 80w cm |
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Lisa Milroy is a superstar British artist:
2006-present Elected to the Royal Academy of Arts, London 1995-present Advisor, Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten, Amsterdam 2009-present Head of Graduate Painting, Slade School of Fine Art, UCL 2013-17 Artist Trustee, Tate; 2015-17 Liaison Trustee to the National Gallery, London Her work exists in numerous collections including:
Weaving was last exhibited in Here and there at the Parasol Unit, 2018. A sister painting in the Weaving series is held in the Tate Collection, UK. |
Weaving (green-yellow), 2016
Mixed media 36h x 36w cm |
Mandy Bonnell is widely acknowledged as one of the world's leading print makers and her work is simply sublime. Immensely subtle and sophisticated, the level of detail, perfection of her pencil line and her extraordinary ability to place form, make her exceptional.
Moth and Jasmine flowers were exhibited in the non selling exhibition Of Green leaf, bird and flower at the Yale Center for British Art, USA in 2014. This enormously well respected academic seat of learning archives all Bonnell's output along with only four other living artists. Her works also exist in the collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum, UK,Ashmolean Museum, UK and the Josef and Annie Albers Foundation, USA, amongst many others.
Moth and Jasmine flowers were exhibited in the non selling exhibition Of Green leaf, bird and flower at the Yale Center for British Art, USA in 2014. This enormously well respected academic seat of learning archives all Bonnell's output along with only four other living artists. Her works also exist in the collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum, UK,Ashmolean Museum, UK and the Josef and Annie Albers Foundation, USA, amongst many others.
SOLD - Moth (detail)
Pencil on paper 55.88h x 76.20w cm |
Jasmine Flowers (detail)
Pencil on paper 55.88h x 76.20w cm |
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David Thuku is an artist whose star is on the rise. A young talent who has already found considerable success both locally and abroad. Most recently and very effectively, Thuku has been interested in the peeling properties of paper which he literally strips away, metaphorically uncovering hidden issues in our society relating to consumerism, identity and societal labelling. 3rd Party II is typical of his recent work.
Thuku has exhibited at 1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair in New York & London, YIA Art Fair in Paris, the UN headquarters in Nairobi, National Museums of Kenya, The Art Space, Red Hill Gallery, Circle Art Agency and the Kenya Art Fair in 2015. |
3rd Party II (Triptych
Mixed media on paper 76h x 165w cm |
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Elias Mong'ora is a highly successful young painter whose works are much sought after. He is interested in documenting his urban surroundings and the people who live in these environments. The immediate appeal of Pangani with its expertly rendered 'Matatus', is typical of this artist.
“My love is in portraiture and to an extent, cityscapes.” The artist has exhibited extensively in Nairobi, including a number of times at the British Institute, was the winner of the Manjano Art Prize in 2016 and was listed in the top ten finalists of the Barclays l'Atelier competition in 2018. 
SOLD - Pangani
Acrylic on canvas 110h x 100w cm |
Ehoodi Kichapi paints expressive, graphic, witty images, all of which well describe Beautiful Bull.
Celebrated for his intrinsic knowledge of drawing and his ability to distill his imagery down to the essentials, Kichapi is a highly successful artist within the region. Since being represented by One Off Gallery, Kichapi has successfully exhibited in Cape Town with Nini Gallery and in Madrid with Gazzambo Gallery. Whilst he credits Francis Bacon, Mark Rothko and Jean-Michel Basquiat as his inspiration, he is fast achieving his own individual practice with a strong original voice. 
SOLD - Beautiful Bull, 2017
Acrylic on Canvas 116h x 108w cm |
Wambui Kamiru Collymore has just closed her extraordinarily moving installation in our pop up space: Wakariru was an exhibition about the destruction of language for everyday things and the accompanying loss of orally documented knowledge. It looked at memory and the forgotten history of the role of women in the Mau Mau war. In our celebratory exhibition, Kamiru Collymore exhibits four powerful portraits of women from the Wakariru exhibit. These women fought in the war, either as food carriers, messengers, or oath givers.
A graduate of Oxford University, holding a MSc in African Studies, Kamiru Collymore always wanted to be an artist and has been one of Kenya's leading installation artists for a number of years now. She was the founder of the Art Space and also the co-creator of Who I am, who we are which focused on Kenyan identity and culminated in a three month exhibition at Kenya National Museum. This artist is not shy of controversy and indeed she aims to make works which provoke
A graduate of Oxford University, holding a MSc in African Studies, Kamiru Collymore always wanted to be an artist and has been one of Kenya's leading installation artists for a number of years now. She was the founder of the Art Space and also the co-creator of Who I am, who we are which focused on Kenyan identity and culminated in a three month exhibition at Kenya National Museum. This artist is not shy of controversy and indeed she aims to make works which provoke
SOLD - Mutumia Ngatha I, 2019
Mixed media on paper 45h x 32w cm |
SOLD - Mutumia Ngatha III, 2019
Mixed media on paper 45h x 32w cm |
SOLD - Mutumia Ngatha II, 2019
Mixed media on paper 45h x 32w cm |
Mutumia Ngatha IV, 2019
Mixed media on paper 45h x 32w cm |
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Michael Musyoka is an immensely popular artist showing great promise.
Born in Kenya in 1986, he started his career with sign writing in 2006. He is now an accomplished painter working in a number of different media. With heavy influence from the surrealists and some from the cubists, he depicts the society surrounding him with a very individual and personal perspective. Musyoka is currently exhibiting at Red Hill Gallery in an exhibition titled 'Time and other constructs'. |
Time IV, 2019
Acrylic on canvas 95h x 95w cm |